Melbourne: The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) Thursday said it was changing its name to Cricket Australia.

Cricket Australia and a brand structure would be introduced to give all levels of Australian cricket an opportunity to improve the power and value of the game’s branding by mid-2003, the ACB said in a statement.

ACB chief executive James Sutherland said strategic planning had highlighted that cricket across all of Australia’s states and territories lacked a co-ordinated approach to branding.

Sutherland said the new name and logo was expected to be implemented in time for the Test and one-day International series against Bangladesh in Darwin and Cairns in July.

He said the new logo will appear on elite Australian men’s and women’s uniforms and equipment, except the baggy green, which would keep the traditional cricket coat of arms.

Symcox ‘devastated’

Durban: A “devastated” South African national selector Pat Symcox has blamed the team management for the hosts’ early exit from the World Cup.

“I was devastated by our early exit. How could we not get the figures right for our batsmen on the Duckworth-Lewis calculations' We committed schoolboy errors and the team’s management has to take a hard look at itself,” Symcox, a former Test player, said. Symcox also said he was considering his future as a cricket administrator.

Sobers for the best

Johannesburg: Garfield Sobers, the greatest all rounder and one of Wisden’s five cricketers of the 20th centur, will present the Man of the Tournament Award at the conclusion of the World Cup final March 23.

Everton Weekes will present one of the Man of the Match awards at the semi-finals. Weekes was one of the ‘three W’s’, including Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, who were all born in the West Indies. (agencies)